Difficult To Love You: A James Sirius Potter Tale
by WastingTimeChasingCars
Summary: James Sirius Potter befriends the dreadful new girl in what appears to be a major twist in fate. But will her secret change everything? Hogwarts is in for a surprise this year...and so is James' heart.


**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Harry Potter! This is simply a work of fanfiction; Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.

**Chapter One: Herbology Hermit **

The great hall was abuzz with the sights and sounds of eager students gathered within their respective house tables. The atmosphere was comprised of friendly chats between peers that had not seen one another since the last day of the previous year. Boys shook hands and commented on any sprouting of facial hair on their friends as girls hugged and giggled, catching up one another's romantic pursuits over the long summer. It was a glorious first day of the school year for the Hogwarts students whom had all been dying to escape from their days filled with meeting boring long-lost relatives or being forced to help prepare their mothers' gardens. Only a first day at Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, could be so enchanting.

"James, my boy! How are you mate?" boomed Charles Winthrop as he pounded his friend on the chest. "Long time no see, eh?"

The eldest son of the Potters grinned and returned the gesture as he patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Well Charles, I've missed you. I didn't see you after you and your family went on that trip to Venice."

"Jamesy, that trip was the best thing I've done in my life. I have to tell you about all of the Italian babes."

"What was that about Italian babes?" interrupted a feminine voice. James and Charles turned around only to find Elizabeth Hastings standing with her arms folded across her chest and her head cocked to the side. Her dark chocolate-kissed hair lay upright in a springy ponytail and her auburn eyes danced of suspicion.

"Liz! It's good to see you again!" exclaimed James as he went towards her. Elizabeth followed suit and threw her arms around James' broad shoulders in a tight embrace after over two months of separation.

"Bloody hell James, you got so tall over the summer. You used to be not anymore than a centimeter taller than me and now look at you!"

"Well I should be talking about you! You look great!" James insisted. Elizabeth had gotten slimmer and tanner over the summer break, her childlike chubby cheeks had been transformed into youthful radiance and her overall flair no longer radiated that of a girl—she had grown into a woman.

A clearing of the throat brought James' and Elizabeth's attentions back to the third member of their posse. "Ehem, well don't mind me, your boyfriend, any one bit," sulked Charles as he showed his signature pouting face.

"Aww, well isn't the little baby getting what he deserves after that comment about Italian babes?" retorted Elizabeth hotly.

"Lizzy-kins, you know you're the best. Besides, I missed you all summer long. I'm sorry…," Charles cooed in a much too desperate attempt to make up for his past inappropriate remark that was within earshot of his beloved girlfriend.

Elizabeth pondered about it for a second longer before she replied, "Oh, alright, apology accepted." With that, she tugged on Charles' tie to pull him closer and wrapped her lips around his in a deep kiss. Charles' arms slithered around her waist as he brought her little body closer to his own chest. Elizabeth's hands flew to her boyfriend's hair as she ran her fingers through his hairlines. Even innocent girls like her could go on a snogging rampage at moments like this when they were reunited with their boyfriend after months of not seeing one another. All Gryffindor eyes were on the physical couple.

Although he loved his friends to shreds, it was moments like this when James couldn't stand the physical entanglement that couples had to go through. Ever since Charles had asked Elizabeth out at the end of the previous year, their fourth year to be exact, the two had become inseparable. James was glad for his friends since it was about time they officially dated, but couldn't they wait till dinner was over to have their friendly contact?

Speaking about friendly contact, James had almost forgotten that he had a girlfriend of his own until the she-devil herself had to remind him.

"JAMESY! Where have you been?" squealed a voice as James felt his shoulders sag down from the weight of someone clinging onto them.

"Uh, hey…Hayden…," he greeted in an effort to hide his displeasure at seeing the face he loathed the most.

"That's funny James! Hey and Hayden sound the same!" Hayden giggled. James shrugged, not having realized what his girlfriend found so hysterically comical. He was certainly used to it by now, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed it.

"Why didn't you call me all summer, baby? I thought we could spend some time together at Daddy's summer house in France," Hayden interrogated as she placed a skinny finger adorned in hot pink nail polish onto James' chest.

"Really? Well now, that's a shame. I was busy with…err…stuff," James lied as he tried to back away from Hayden's prodding fingers.

"What kind of stuff?" asked Hayden suspiciously.

"Oh, well you know, studying for the O.W.L exams," James lied. Maybe Elizabeth, but he of all people studying for the O.W.L exams months in advance was a complete joke!

"Silly, we still have the whole year till we take them."

"Yeah, but I want to do well on them."

"Don't worry, even if you fail them, Daddy can get you a top-notch job in the Ministry. It's a piece of plum cake for him!"

Hayden Greenwich was the daughter of Rutherford Greenwich, the Minister of Magic. He was a middle-aged man who'd let the prospect of power go to his head. He had corrupted the Ministry with his spoils system—he awarded jobs to his friends and supporters rather than those whom proved to be competent for the job. He abused his wealth and squandered it on summer homes, fancy cars and of course, luxuries for his only daughter. James wondered many times a day why it was that he was going out with that snobby hen. _Oh yeah, because if you didn't, your father would lose his job_, James reasoned to himself.

Despite all of the titles awarded to his father—The Boy Who Lived, The Savior, or The One Who Defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—to James, Harry Potter was just Dad. Setting aside the great things that his father had done during his mere years as a teenager, his dad was also one of the greatest aurors for the Ministry of Magic, not to mention the head of the Auror Office. Although James knew for a fact that his father loathed the Minister, getting on Mr. Greenwich's bad side would only spell out more trouble.

Hayden insisted on going out with James and her father approved of the boy, knowing fully well how great it'd look if his daughter was in a relationship with the son of one of the most powerful and reputable wizards of all-time. If James refused Hayden, she'd surely complain to her father and get Harry Potter sacked. James' father had enough to worry about without having to look for another job, regardless of the fact that he could get an occupation anywhere with his reputation. In the meantime, Hayden would just have to be another cross for James to bear.

"Okay, well Hayden, I have to go now," James said in an attempt to escape from her.

"Oh, alright darling, I'll sit with my friends. Bye!" she planted a quick kiss on James' lips before going back to sit with her friends.

While James wiped his lips with the sleeves of his cloak, he spotted his younger siblings down the table where the younger house members sat. His brother in the fourth year, Albus, was seated around a group of boys and girls. They were laughing about a comment that one of the guys had said. His sister in her second year, Lily, was happily chatting away with some girls her own age. _Good_, James thought to himself. _If there were any boys around her, I would have to tell them to scram_. James decided to finally settle down on his table, content to be squeezed into a spot between Charles and Elizabeth whom had finally found time to stop their tongue battles. He was greeted by others and asked questions about the whereabouts of his summer. Finally, a clink of a glass from the front of the hall brought all of the chattering to an end and got the bustling students' attentions.

"Good evening fellow staff members, students and other guardians of the school," solemnly resounded Professor McGonagall, the headmistress, as she stood up from the middle seat at the table where all of the teachers sat for the opening day feast. "Welcome back! Before I commence with the common affairs of the first day, I would like to address some other points. This year, we have been honored with the presence of two additions to our staff. Professor Longstrough, as you know, retired last year so Professor Bernard Slingstein will be taking over the Transfiguration courses."

Professor McGonagall paused in order to let the new Transfiguration teacher stand up and wave to the crowd of students. He was a short, stout, kind-eyed man. His grey eyes simply danced as the corners of his sagging lips turned upwards in a moderate smile. He sat right back down again.

Professor McGonagall continued, "In addition, our new and improved Defense Against the Dark Arts course will be taught by internationally-acclaimed Professor Jodillie Lennox."

The crowd roared in applause at the mention of this name. The woman who stood up was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Her young, petite body was firmly held in place by a black trench coat. She wore simple dark jeans paired with black boots that went up to her knees. Her face was quite angular and well-defined, not a single blemish or mark intruding the virgin skin. Her eyebrows were tightly drawn into long arcs above her gentle, but mysterious, eyes. The jaw of every male student in the great hall dropped a couple of feet at the sight of such a desirable teacher. Teachers were usually old and worn out with the enemy of time, but not this one. She held a blank face as she nodded to accept the applause and sat back down in her seat.

"Who is she?" James nudged Charles.

Charles struggled to close his big mouth. "You don't know her? That's Jody Lennox, the daughter of Luke Lennox. He was a great auror back in the day—he worked with the best wizards. Now she's a famous auror too. She's done loads of stuff."

James wanted to hear more but didn't want to be rude while McGonagall finished her speech up.

"It should also be noted that Professor Lennox will be the new head of the Gryffindor house, so I'll expect you all to be extremely _well-behaved_." McGonagall's eyes looked directly at Charles and James at the mention of good behavior.

"Blimey, she still hates us?" Charles whispered while shuddering.

"Well, who can blame her after you two set 'accidentally' turned her into a newt?" Elizabeth condescended.

"Oh, don't be such a pratt, that was three bloody years ago! Whatever happened to forgive and forget?"

"Whatever," Elizabeth replied as she rolled her eyes.

The headmistress made a couple of other minor announcements before stating in a grand voice, "So now, without further a due, we will progress with the sorting hat ceremony."

Everyone perked their heads up to see the first year batch of students walk in. They were guided by good old Hagrid, who was lumbering down the hall with a lantern in his giant hands. No matter how many years had gone by, Hagrid was still Hagrid and James loved him for the crazy half-giant that he was.

He began to read out one name at a time from a list of all of the names of the new students. Each student would then sit on a stool and the sorting hat would be placed on his or her head. Every once in a while, a great uproar of cheers could be heard from a house as it discovered that another student had been sorted into it. As the minutes wore on, there were fewer students left to go. Finally, after what had appeared to be ages, there was only one student left. The whole crowd fell silent.

Something was off.

James looked at the last student. She was a girl, but she didn't look like a first year. She was much too tall and matured for her age. She had long jet black hair that was drawn into a lose braid that hung a foot below her shoulders. Bangs covered her eyes, intruding her vision as well as preventing anyone else from catching a glimpse of her eyes.

"And last, but not least, Callista Youngblood," Hagrid bellowed.

Some people made silent comments at the mention of her name, but hushed up as soon as she made movement. The girl slowly walked to the stool and sat down on it. The sorting hat was placed on her head and began to murmur strange things that no one else could hear. The hall was pin-drop silent, its inhabitants being anxious to find out what house this strange sight had been sorted into. After a few more seconds of deliberation, the hat finally yelled, "Slytherin!"

But no one cheered.

The girl retrieved her cloak and walked down the length of the Slytherin table. She timidly approached the end of it where no one else was sitting and settled down. She hung her head low, so as to avoid the glares of anyone else. James had only realized how he had been holding his breath in all this time when he finally felt the need to breathe in some fresh air.

McGonagall took the stage again in order to finally conclude her speech. "Well, congratulations to all of our first years and new students on being accepted into your respective houses. I trust that each and every one of you have come here with the intent of creating better witches and wizards of yourselves and of the people around you. We have gathered together this year to promote a mutual love for learning (Charles pretended to gag at this while Elizabeth tried to quiet him down), harbor a heart of humility and improve the standards of magic everywhere. So with that, welcome to Hogwarts."

The crowd of students erupted in cheers and a gargantuan round of applause ensued. Every student vowed to make this year the best one yet—all except one.

~.~

"Ay mate, hurry will you, or we'll be late for breakfast!"

Charles' face woke James up from his slumber. James ignored Charles' call and stuffed his head underneath a pillow, only to have the fluffy object flung out of his arms by his friend.

"James, wake up! Did you not hear what I just said?"

"Five more minutes, Mum," James groaned.

"Class starts in twenty minutes and I refuse to attend without my breakfast!" Charles whined.

James couldn't sleep with all of the yelling Charles was inducing, so he decided that he best wake up and deal with the fact that school was back in session. "Oh, alright, shut it will you? I'll meet up with you and Liz in the common room."

James quickly washed up and dressed himself in his new robes. He smoothed his hair down with some water, slipped his black dress shoes on, and adjusted his tie. He ran down the stairs that snaked from the boys' dorm to the Gryffindor common room, ready to greet his friends. The first day awaited him.

~.~

"Charles, you eat like a pathetic pig," complained Elizabeth in disgust. "Slow down this instant!" She looked at her boyfriend who was scarfing down both donuts and croissants in a heartbeat.

"I can't hwep it that I'm a gwon boy," Charles managed to say between mouthfuls of food.

"What on earth are you saying?" Elizabeth asked in exasperation.

"I think he meant to say that he can't help it that he's a grown boy," James assisted in deciphering Charles' speech patterns.

Elizabeth was about to come up with another retort when a great noise filled the Great Hall. A flock of owls flew in from the grand opened windows, each one carrying tied parchment. Each made its way to another student. Three owls landed right in front of Elizabeth, Charles and James. Elizabeth untied the parchment from the owl and slipped off the red ribbon that held it together. She briefly looked over the content of the parchment. "Oh! These are our schedules!" she exclaimed.

James and Charles followed in pursuit of her actions and dismissed the owls once they had attained their schedules.

"What do you guys have first?" Elizabeth asked.

"Charms," both boys replied simultaneously.

"Me too! What about everything else?" she inquired.

The trio compared their schedules. To their content, they had every class together except for Care of Magical Creatures (which Elizabeth had dropped due to conflicts in her schedule, and which Charles had dropped because he felt it was "a stupid elective" he'd never use in his life).

"I don't understand why you two would opt out of the easiest class in school…not to mention, Hagrid's the one teaching it. It would've been loads of fun!" James mused.

"Yes James, but you must understand that my allergies have gotten worse, and attending a class that is entirely outside is not my idea of the ideal learning experience," Elizabeth complained.

James rolled his eyes. It was no surprise to him that Elizabeth would rather take more challenging courses that allowed her to expand her cranium than the easier ones that one would be guaranteed the ultimate grade in. Hagrid was probably the only teacher that could understand James, just as he had understood the young Harry Potter, and the simpleton never asked for much out of his students.

"Well, if you two are finished discussing whatever you're talking about, can we go? I really have to go visit the loo," Charles complained.

"Oh, alright, let's be on our way then," Elizabeth pacified.

The friends disposed whatever remained of their breakfasts and went off so that Charles could make a pit-stop at the bathroom before they ventured off into their first hour class—Charms with Ravenclaw.

~.~

Charms went by as expected; Professor Flitwick simply reviewed spells from the year before which Elizabeth, the smart-aleck she was, nailed every single one of. He then went on to stress the importance of the O.W.L exams which would be administered to the fifth year students at the end of that year while some students doodled on their notebooks or texted with their wands underneath the desks. The technology of wand-texting which was introduced during just that past summer had become quite popular over the span of mere weeks. Second hour was History of Magic-the class just put everyone to sleep as Professor Binns droned on and on about key dates that only Elizabeth bothered to take note of as she furiously scribbled down the information into her quillpad.

"That was bloody torture!" exclaimed Charles when they were out of the earshot of Professor Binns at the conclusion of class.

"Tell me about it," grumbled James.

"Well, I for one thought that it was quite fascinating, if you don't mind me speaking so," Elizabeth argued.

The boys ran on ahead to leave Elizabeth to her thoughts while she decided to catch up.

~.~

Lunch was uneventful as the boys scarfed down food and Elizabeth ventured off into the library to browse through the innovative collection of encyclopedias that the library had received over the summer.

"So mate, you excited for Herbology?" Charles asked sarcastically.

"The class I almost failed last year? Not in the least bit," James chuckled.

"Well, you totally blundered on the final…I guess gardening isn't your specialty."

"Well, I assume so since I'm not a sissy that enjoys tending to weeds like you," James shrugged.

"Mate, you need help if you think I enjoy gardening when you're the one with the girlfriend that demands forget-me-nots every other day," Charles burst.

"Oh, shut up. At least I'm not the one who did not know how to feed a hippogriff," James retorted as an insult to Charles.

The boys went back and forth like that until their lunch hour was over, signaling the time for Herbology class. Just as the boys sauntered down the hallway, they were met by Professor McGonagall.

"Good day, Professor McGonagall," James and Ron greeted in unison.

"Good day to you, too, boys. Potter, may I have a word with you?" she asked.

James scrunched his eyebrows up and shrugged to Charles, ushering him to continue on and that he would catch up with him in class.

"Sure Professor. Did I do something wrong? If this is about the human waste that was found in the chocolate cakes last year, I swear it was Charles and not me!"

"No, no, Potter, this isn't about those cakes although I will be speaking to Mr. Winthrop about that ploy of his at a later time. Now, normally we don't allow things like this, but the Ministry has sincerely asked us to exempt you from a couple of hours of school a week so that you can intern for them."

"Intern? Like…a volunteer opportunity of some sort?" James inquired.

"Yes, exactly! They understand that you bring strong promise to the magical community, and that it would be their honor to accept you into their ranks. We don't generally allow students to miss school and do such a thing, but as long as it is something that you can do while you remain in tune with your mainstream courses, we are willing to flex the regulations a bit."

"Wow, Professor McGonagall…that's…that's absolutely amazing!" James had always wanted to become an auror for the ministry, and with his sub-par grades, he doubted whether that dream would ever come true.

"I'm glad you see the extremity of this opportunity, Mr. Potter. However, you must realize the responsibility that comes with such a chance. No students are offered doors like this, and you must maintain it to the best of your ability if you do choose to tread such a route."

"I…I will, Professor, honestly. But why was I chosen? I mean, my grades aren't loads good."

"I…I suppose I don't really know, Mr. Potter. The Ministry has its way of doing things… Well, I don't want to deter you from attending class any longer. I will send them your reply and speak to you later. You should let your father know about this—I'm sure he'll certainly be thrilled," McGonagall concluded in a slight smile, though it seemed very subtle and overshadowed by worry. However, James was much too ecstatic and delighted to take note of this and simply accepted the proposal as his long-awaited chance to shine.

"Alright, thank you Professor," James closed off before he broke off from the conversation and skidded through the hallway. He felt like he was walking on clouds as he skipped, jumped and pranced about with the widest grin on his face. He felt like putty that was about to be let out of happiness. Interning for the ministry—that was something completely unheard of. He turned a corner and opened a set of double doors that led out to a large greenhouse—the abode of his Herbology class. All eyes turned to rest upon his.

"I'm sorry Professor Sprout, I got held up with—"

"Don't worry about it, Potter, the headmistress told me you'd be a little late. Come join us for class," Professor Sprout invited.

James took a seat alongside Charles, Elizabeth and the other Gryffindor students. Hufflepuff students were also scattered throughout and the Slytherins were hot on James' tail, just a couple of feet in front of him on the other side of the table. He caught the glance of Garston Malvidous, the snottiest brat in all of England. The boys acknowledged one another's presence with a share of ghastly scowls and eyes rolled in disgust before disintegrating into mini conversations with their friends.

"I forgot we had this class with the Slits," James condescended. "The Slits" was the nickname that the Gryffindors had made up to refer to Slytherin students.

"Me too," moaned Elizabeth. "Just when I thought I didn't need a bucket to throw up in," she said as she pretended to puke.

"Just don't mind the ninnies, James. They have nothing better to do anyway," Charles reasoned.

Just before James could express any further thoughts, Professor Sprout interrupted.

"Alright then, so I'll be leaving you all to work within your groups to formulate ideas for your term project. Now hop to it!" she urged. With a flick of her wand, plants appeared out of thin air onto the table, some distorted in peculiar shapes, some giving off putrid aromas, and others whose aesthetics were quite pleasing to the eye of someone with a knack for gardening. The students got up from their seats and began joining up with others.

"So guys, what exactly are we doing?" asked James, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Oh, that's right, you missed the beginning of class!" Elizabeth remembered. "Sprout talked to us about a new policy that was inducted this year for the fifth year Herbology students. All students are to submit a plant project this term…and we're allowed to work in groups of two."

"Of two? What kind of a group is that?" James asked in annoyance.

"Sorry mate, but that's the new policy. We already paired up so get yourself a partner," Charles boasted.

"Thanks for the assistance Charlie, but I'll manage," James replied hotly. He walked around and asked fellow Gryffindors and even Hufflepuffs whether anyone needed a partner. Everyone had already found the time to pair up. When he finally realized that he had to deal with the shame of being the odd one out—the one without a partner, he decided to ask his professor about it. Under no circumstance would he ever team up with a Slit. He walked over to Professor Sprout amongst the shambles of students dispersed throughout the greenhouse to inquire about whether he could join in with Charles and Elizabeth as a three-member group.

"I'm sorry Potter, but this is an even-numbered class. There should be enough students to have one partner of your own."

"Professor, I asked around and it seems to be that everyone has already been paired."

"Oh, nonsense…," Professor Sprout said in disbelief. Her eyes scanned the room for anyone who could be a potential partner for her student. Her pupils lit up as her eyes finally lay on someone.

"Ah, Potter, right there—there's your partner!"

James turned around to see whomever it was that Sprout was referring to. Among the haystack of students, he didn't see anyone who stood out.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I don't see who you're talking about."

"Why, I'm talking about her. Youngblood, please come up here!" her voice boomed.

From behind a group of chattering students who were disturbing a pile of baby mandrakes, a girl emerged. Her wispy hair was long and hung around her body as if it were a dementor disengaging towards its prey. Even James' eyes lit up in surprise as he realized it was the very same girl who had been shunned at last night's opening day banquet for the students of Hogwarts—the girl who had called silence upon the entire hall. She was now wearing a brown, scrawny cloak with the emblem of a snake sewn into its breast pocket. But who was she and why was she a fifth year when he had never laid eyes on her ever before?

She timidly approached Professor Sprout, her bangs still shielding her eyes. Everyone had fallen silent and intently watched the scene.

"Now Potter, meet Callista Youngblood. You two will be partners for this term project, and there will be no questions asked about it."

With that, Professor Sprout left their side and left them alone. Snickers and murmurs were heard throughout the greenhouse at the mention of James being paired up with this unknown girl. James could've sworn that he saw Garston smirk at his folly of having come late only to be partnered up with the new school misfit. Even Charles and Elizabeth shot James apologetic looks. James sighed and shook his head—he had a project to complete!

"So…hello…I'm James and I guess we're doing this together so we may as well start." James waited for some sort of recognition or response from Callista, but she only turned away and edged towards the gargantuan table with its array of seeds, plants, magical growth enhancing substances and any other supplies that an average magical school had for its students to peruse through for a Herbology project. Her fingers weaved through the crates of supplies. Every once in a while, she would pick up a seed from its stack and examine it. How she managed to make heads or tails of the seed with her bangs still shrouding her vision, James had the slightest clue. She would turn through pages of a textbook laid out on the table to identify the seedling's name, origin and any other miscellanous information about it before putting the seed back in its case in the crate. James merely stood by her side and pretended to be greatly interested in the spider that he saw crawling in the pots of one of the Louisinthias near him.

"How about we grow a Louisinthia?" James asked.

Callista stopped her perusing for a second to look over at the plant that James was talking about. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head in disapproval and wrote something down on the notepad near her textbook:

_They're much too common and unoriginal._

James simply said "Okay" and continued to wait for his oh-so-communicative partner to find something that wasn't "too common and unoriginal."

Then, Callista scribbled down with her quill another set of lines and tapped James' shoulder to get his attention. The note read:

_How about we grow some Dragonias? _

"Dragonias…? What are those?" James inquired.

Callista looked awfully excited and quickly scrawled down another line.

_They are an extremely rare species in herbology. They can cure practically any disease. They have dragon heads though, so they're very dangerous._

Callista nudged her textbook, which was flipped to a page about Dragonias, over to James so that he could take in the information himself. The pages on the subject ranged from pictures of baby Dragonias to those of older ones that had vicious heads as large as an automobile and stems as monstrous as the trunk of the Whomping Willow. James was a little skeptical about growing such risky plants—there was a reason why they were an extremely rare species. Who would want to grow plants as dangerous as those? However, Callista looked into the project and so, he accepted, just wanting to get this project over with as soon as possible.

"Alright, I'm okay with the idea."

Callista nodded her head and for a second, her fringe bangs imparted tiny slits through which James swore he saw light blue eyes. As quickly as they appeared, her eyes disappeared again underneath the mass of thick, black threads and she nodded her head having received James' approval. If he didn't know any better, the corners of her mouth had turned upwards…in a smile? No, it couldn't be. Girls like that…they didn't smile. They just reeked of gloom and awkwardness. Who else would use a quill and notepad to convey her feelings?

The _cling _of the building's bells snapped James out of his trance and left him to realize that his Herbology hour had been over.

Professor Sprout's voice boomed again out of nowhere and said, "Remember to give me a fifteen-inch parchment with a description of what species your project is centered around growing next class and be as descriptive as possible."

James gathered his belongings and sauntered out to meet with his friends, leaving Callista to fend by herself.

"How was it working with the class outcast, mate?" Charles grinned.

Elizabeth smacked her boyfriend's head with her gigantic _A History of Magic: Edition Five_ textbook.

"Oww! What the blimey was that for?" Charles screeched, catching the attention of giggling first year girls who were outside for Madam Hooch's flying class.

"You arrogant jerk! Is that how your mother taught you to regard other people? What has that poor girl done to you? I must be crazy for being with an outcast like you!" Elizabeth huffed as her face turned into an apricot.

"Damn Liz, no need to get so high-headed about this, I was just joking!" Charles reasoned as he tried to tug on the ends of Elizabeth's hair strands.

"Well, I'm damn tired of your stupid jokes! And don't touch me!" she yelled as she slapped Charles' hand away and strutted down the lawn to get away from her boyfriend, possibly her ex-boyfriend with the level of frustration she exemplified.

"Argh! She's so bloody moody, James. What in Diagon's Alley am I supposed to do?" Charles raged in frustration.

"I dunno, go apologize to her for a start. You know how girls are…it's calling PMSing, isn't it?" James asked.

"Yeah, but it's different when you're PMSing every single day of the week!" Charles breathed. "And we were supposed to write our Herbology paper together during Study Hour."

"You can help me with mine," James offered. "…and you should, considering the fact you think I'm so unfortunate to have 'the outcast' as my partner," James chuckled.

"At least you get my drift, even if Liz didn't…," Charles said as he rolled his eyes. "Anyhow, so what's the story with that girl? I mean, how come we've never seen her before?"

"Oh, I dunno," mused James. "She and I didn't talk much…just thought about what we were going to do for the project. The strange thing is, she doesn't even talk to me…she writes down whatever she wants to say and I just talk back."

"Wow mate, that is strange…maybe she's a mute…I guess she'd be our first Herbology Hermit."

"I'm assuming so. Whatever, I just want to get this project completed."

"James, that reminds me! I got this sick new game for something called an XBOX. It's an invention that muggles are absolutely crazy about! How about we check it out and see how it works? I mean, we could always do the work if you'd rather do that…," Charles trailed off.

"No way! Let's check this baby out!" James rallied up with excitement. The two boys ran off into the building to enjoy their Study Hour, unaware of the girl with dark hair and thick bangs that had been staring at them from a distance.

~.~

Like it? Hate it? Let me know what you think!

Thanks! :-)


End file.
